6 Tips to Get More People to Share Your Online Fundraising Campaign

John Haydon has put together some great pointers for your social media campaigns. I just want to add one side-note to point #5 – CommsConsole will help you pull together all of your social media, email and SMS marketing into one easy-to-use console.

But even though sharing has gotten easier, actually getting people to share can feel like pulling teeth. And when you see other nonprofits getting thousands of views on YouTube with what seems like no effort, you feel like stabbing yourself in the eye.

So how do you get people to share your content? Here are six tips to keep in mind:

1. Accept That Social Media Is Not Email

It’s not about how many fans and followers you have, it’s all about vitality. Stop thinking about accumulating numbers and start thinking about nurturing the 1% who are already raving fans.

2. Understand The Powershift

If you’re thinking on some level (even subconsciously) that your job is to get people to do something, stop it. You can’t make people do anything. Facebook, blogs and Twitter has tipped the power balance in favor of the masses. Find the people using these tools who are already talking about your cause.

Think about the last time you shared a video on YouTube. How did you share it? Did you email it, tweet it or post it on Facebook? More importantly, why did you share it? Was it funny? Did it make you think of a specific person?

Chances are you already have a growing number of supporters that talk you up at parties, on Twitter and on Facebook. If you don’t have a Facebook Page, get one. If you have a lot of supporters using Twitter, go there too. And make your fundraising platform is easy to share too.

6. Huddle up with your 1%

If you haven’t already, begin to identify who your core fundraisers are–your champions. Create a private venue using a Facebook Group so that you can deepen your connection with these folks. When it’s time to launch a tightly defined fundraising effort, they’ll be ready to go!